1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to saddle trees, which are frames used in horse saddles to provide strength and shape.
2. Description of the Related Art
A saddle for a horse is typically constructed using a saddle tree, which is generally overlayed with leather to form the seat and other structures of the saddle. Conventionally, saddle trees have been constructed of wood or of wood and metal, such as steel or iron. Within the last several decades, there has been an increasing use of composite materials, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,116 (Brown) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,988 (Anderson).
The use of new materials was spurred by several important saddle tree design considerations. First and foremost is the desire for a durable saddle tree. Saddles and saddle trees are subjected to repetitive impacts as the rider's body “bounces” on the back of the horse. This impact stress is particularly acute in exercise saddles because a race horse is exercised at a faster gate than a range or trail horse. Eventually, these stresses at the flexure points cause an irreparable fracture of the saddle tree. The relatively short life span of a saddle tree, therefore, is due mainly to the stresses upon certain of its flexible members. To combat these flexure stresses, wooden saddle trees are typically carved from a single piece of wood.
A second important design characteristic is for a flexible saddle tree. While many saddle tree designs incorporate rigid metal components to address the durability issue, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,698 (Swain), these designs typically lack flexibility. This can result in injury to either horse or rider. In addition, these metal designs tend to be more malleable than wooden designs, that is they have a tendency to become misshapen from the repeated pounding exerted on saddles due to the concussion between the rider's body and the horse's body.
In the past, saddle tree manufacturers have made use of composite materials, such as thermoplastic or rubber to provide a durable, flexible, and nonmalleable design. Many of these designs have met with limited success and still suffer from the problem of breakage associated with conventional designs.
The present invention is a saddle tree for use with an exercise saddle. An exercise saddle is used to exercise race horses and should mimic a racing saddle in terms of the positioning and weight of the rider on the horse. Whereas a racing saddle typically does not incorporate a saddle tree, an exercise saddle, which is used for much longer periods of time than a racing saddle, needs to incorporate a saddle tree that provide adequate support to prevent injury to the rider. Therefore, a saddle tree for an exercise saddle needs to incorporate the durability, flexibility, and nonmalleability of a standard riding saddle, but must do so in a lightweight form. Such a design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,988 (Anderson) using thermoplastic materials; however, in practice, the saddle trees using composite materials suffer from breakage to as great an extent as do wood or wood-metal designs. Therefore, the focus of the current invention is to incorporate these four design considerations (weight, durability, flexibility, and non-malleability) into a saddle tree for use in a better-engineered, wooden saddle tree.